The structural and transport properties of GaAs/Mn/GaAs/InxGa1−xAs/GaAs quantum wells (x≈0.2) with Mn δ-layer (4–10 at. %), separated from the well by a GaAs spacer, have been studied. The hole mobility in the investigated structures has exceeded the values known for magnetic III-V heterostructures by two orders of magnitude. For structures with the conductivity of the metal type, we have succeeded to observe at low temperatures Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations just confirming the two dimensionality (2D) of the hole energy spectrum. Exactly those 2D holes promote the ferromagnetic ordering of the Mn layer. That has been proven by (i) observing maxima (at 25–40 K) in temperature dependencies of the resistance, which positions agree with calculated values of Curie temperatures (for structures with the indirect interaction of Mn atoms via 2D holes), and (ii) revealing the negative spin-dependent magnetoresistance (NMR) as well as the anomalous Hall effect (AHE), which values are also in good agreement with calculations relating to ferromagnetic 2D III-V systems. As for the structures with the insulator type of the conductivity, their NMR and AHE features evidence the phase separation—the sample fragmentation with the formation of mesoscopic ferromagnetic areas separated by paramagnetic strata of the high tunnel conductivity.

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The application of gas sensors in breath analysis is an important trend in the early diagnostics of different diseases including lung cancer, ulcers, and enteric infection. However, traditional methods of synthesis of metal oxide gas-sensing materials for semiconductor sensors based on wet sol-gel processes give relatively high sensitivity of the gas sensor to changing humidity. The sol-gel process leading to the formation of superficial hydroxyl groups on oxide particles is responsible for the strong response of the sensing material to this factor. In our work, we investigated the possibility to synthesize metal oxide materials with reduced sensitivity to water vapors. Dry synthesis of SnO2 nanoparticles was implemented in gas phase by spark discharge, enabling the reduction of the hydroxyl concentration on the surface and allowing the production of tin dioxide powder with specific surface area of about 40 m2/g after annealing at 610 °C. The drop in sensor resistance does not exceed 20% when air humidity increases from 40 to 100%, whereas the response to 100 ppm of hydrogen is a factor of 8 with very short response time of about 1 s. The sensor response was tested in mixtures of air with hydrogen, which is the marker of enteric infections and the marker of early stage fire, and in a mixture of air with lactate (marker of stomach cancer) and ammonia gas (marker of Helicobacter pylori, responsible for stomach ulcers).

A capacitor-driven pulsed magnet coil has been designed to generate fields in the 70-75 T range, with a life expectancy of at least 100 pulses, thus qualifying as a '75 T class user magnet'. The bore is 10 mm and the rise time used in our experiments is 4 ms. The coil consists of two coaxial sections: the inner section, where stresses are highest, is made with CuNb microcomposite wire and optimized Zylon reinforcement; the outer section is made with soft copper and glass fibre composite. In the inner section, the stress in each layer is self-contained, while the stresses induced in the outer section are transmitted to a thick shell made from steel and carbon fibre composite. The cross section of the copper wires is adjusted to redistribute the heating evenly between the inner and the outer section. Another innovative design feature is a system for axial compression that can be easily retightened during coil training. Two nearly identical coils were manufactured and tested to 72 T; this is a limit imposed due to overheating when using our 10 kV, 0.5 MJ capacitor bank (at an energy of 380 kJ). At 75 T, the calculated von Mises stress in the Zylon composite is 2.6 GPa, well below the UTS of more than 3 GPa, and the CuNb wire is still in an elastic state.

We report results of investigations of structural and transport properties of GaAs/Ga 1-x In x As/GaAs quantum wells (QWs) having a 0.5-1.8 ML thick Mn layer, separated from the QW by a 3 nm thick spacer. The structure has hole mobility of about 2000 cm 2 /(V·s) being by several orders of magnitude higher than in known ferromagnetic two-dimensional structures. The analysis of the electro-physical properties of these systems is based on detailed study of their structure by means of high-resolution X-ray diffractometry and glancing-incidence reflection, which allow us to restore the depth profiles of structural characteristics of the QWs and thin Mn-containing layers. These investigations show absence of Mn atoms inside the QW. The quality of the structures was also characterized by photo-luminescence spectra from the QWs. Transport properties reveal features inherent to ferromagnetic systems: a specific maximum in the temperature dependence of the resistance and the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) observed in samples with both 'metallic' and activated types of conductivity up to ~ 100 K. AHE is most pronounced in the temperature range where the resistance maximum is observed, and decreases with decreasing temperature. The results are discussed in terms of interaction of 2D-holes and magnetic Mn ions in presence of large-scale potential fluctuations related to random distribution of Mn atoms. The AHE values are compared with calculations taking into account its 'intrinsic' mechanism in ferromagnetic systems.